Urge the Minister for Health to Ban Xenotransplantation

  • by: Everyone
  • recipient: The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP
Please urge The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP to ban xenotransplantation.
Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of organs, tissue or cells from one species to another.
The animals that undergo experiments to test the safety of xenotransplantation and the animals that are harvested both suffer tremendously, even though alot of controversy surrounds the fact that  little is known about animal to human viral transmission. 
There are no means to diagnose potential xenozoonotic viruses or their pathogenic behaviour, and even if they could be detected, majority are untreatable.
Not only does xenotranplantation inflict unnecessary suffering into animals, it poses a threat to the health of the patient, and to the wider community who didn't consent.
Please help ban this risky and higly unethical practice.

Thanks
We the undersigned, respectfully urge you to ban the use of xenotransplantation.
As you may know in 2002 the Australian Government commenced a public consultation to decide whether or not to allow clinical trails for xenotransplantation. In 2004 the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) concluded that no such trials should take place until five years on the basis that the risk of animal to human viral transmission  wasn't well understood. In 2009 the NHMRC reviewed their decision and the ban was overturned despite the fact we still know very little about disease transmission.
There are no means to diagnose potential xenozoonotic viruses or their pathogenic behaviour, and even if they could be detected, majority are untreatable. AIDS, BSE (Mad Cow Disease), Ebola viruses and some of the major flu epidemics such as Avian flu, originated from cross-species contamination. Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus (PERV) and Swine flu has already been discovered in the animals intended to be used as a source for organ donors risking a zoonotic pandemic.
Xenotransplantation inflicts inhumane and unnecessay suffering on animals evident in many investigations ( see www.xenodiaries.org).
We kindly urge you to ban this risky and highly unethical practice.
Thank you for your time
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